Mangaluru(PTI): Police found materials that go into making a bomb from the house where the Mangaluru blast accused Mohammed Shariq, was staying as a tenant in Mysuru, a senior police official said on Monday.

Shariq was "influenced and inspired" by a (terrorist) organisation with global presence, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said.

The 24-year old, hailing from Tirthahalli in Shivamogga district, was carrying the improvised explosive device (IED) in a cooker in an autorickshaw on Saturday when it exploded on the outskirts of this coastal city on Saturday.

He received burn injuries in the blast and is currently undergoing treatment in a city hospital.

"...Our priority is to see that he survives, we have to take him to a stage where we can question him," Kumar said.

The police had termed the blast "an act of terror with intention to cause serious damage."

"We found materials that are used in making a bomb such as ammonium nitrate, nuts, bolts and other material from Mohan Kumar's house where he was staying," Kumar said.

Police carried out searches at seven places.

Shariq was also involved in painting objectionable graffiti in Mangaluru earlier, Kumar added.

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Bengaluru (PTI): To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) announced on Friday that a special EV fair will be organised for the Secretariat employees in January 2025.

During a meeting at the BESCOM office, Managing Director Mahantesh Bilagi said, "The fair is being organised following a directive of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and will be conducted under the supervision of Energy Minister K J George and Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta."

According to him, the event aims to educate attendees about the benefits of environmentally friendly EVs and to encourage the adoption of two-wheeled EVs.

"During the fair, dealer discounts to government employees, particularly those in the Secretariat will also be offered. There will also be opportunities for practical demonstrations of the vehicles at the exhibition site," added Bilagi.

He said the Secretariat employees will also benefit from no down payment and low-interest loans to purchase the EV vehicles.

"EV companies are eager to participate and the sales will extend beyond the exhibition, continuing in the future," the Managing Director said.

The state, particularly Bengaluru, has the highest electric vehicle (EV) users, said Bilagi, adding that to support this, the Energy Department has provided essential infrastructure.

"BESCOM's efforts in promoting EV usage have been recognised with the 'Charge India 2024 Excellence' award. This award is a testament to our commitment to establishing excellent charging facilities. Karnataka has the country's most public electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 5,765 stations, of which 4,462 are located in the Bengaluru Urban district," said Bilagi.

The Secretariat Employees' Association president Ramesh Sanga and other office-bearers, BESCOM Technical Director H J Ramesh as well as senior officials attended the meeting.